Fruit-grader.



F. C. & O. M. JAQUETTE.

FRUIT GRADER.

AIPLIGATION FILED JUNE 20, 1913.

Patented May 19, 1914.

INYEIITORS Z SHEETS"SHEET 2.

0 d om rrs ir dam/[r225 HTMHS I AQUE'ITE s of the in now and usoll 1 lll Graders, of

. so oilicolion.

in fruit i y m lass f lzlio l especially moved by 3 maul 3s, mm W 011.1 a SGYlGS of car- .is pi'o'vuflotl, each arranged to leli'ver 1mm the lJlflQl'llDf, all. fruit liolow a certain A. in.

fox prover to proviclo mechanism r B3 wiry lo the f nilit passes Aolliefl "nice 1 is a op plan improvofl grader, 3 is a detail of 1, ani portion of the v she (lr'zm oil I 2i pm i viow is 11 do The present ommiol' of the invention i i of clloolz loiigg ilial il'lfe eonnooiel with "t 3 bes, the said Lllgfflfitfl in vertical posiuon ported by the bars 2. The 1 of oaoli cheek gilol-o of the doll 'lzo plalos 3 and 4; of the "=lio photos l alter- .'l'1 respect Lo the plstos tor longish, ail will pizito is pi-ovirlod .l 2. on open bowing 5 at its upper and. Eool of the plutosl is also proviolsd with at its upper end, and 'lllM-J in o'l'iiiolliolo Hpl'lgll l lime similar bearings l m; l-lisr upper ends, tho soidlioarlasing m5 soproitii'no'lwoly iillfi some lovol the bola-lugs 5 of time plates lw Rollers 8 are jourimlsal in the bearings 6 of the boa 1' oml similar rollers 9 are jourgs '7 oi the uprights l.

supported by saw v 8 midi El, oz oli of tho car of sories of ojmlloss bolts mood relation, micl connect The wrongs-mom; llllP. roll-- oil by slz ooh to provide l1 carrier incline: upwardly h: 5 to limo I()ll "l. 9, and the cmtliut lIllQ upper or (lo-- the livoary om! lower end 0 iii.

mooted r apron lo 7 111011 5 of lhe nu'riei' sssl i more psi. M 1 l The rollers and. mo proviloil Willi truniiloos l-zl and 15 respectively for ongo ing; the bearings G sncl 7 and o roller 16 oi smilloi diameter than the rollers 8 and 9 is jourmlod. in each pair of plates 41-. Eacl o'f the rollers 16 is pro- 'viclool with t l'lll'fllO'l'lS or journal pins 17 for engaging the bearings 5 of the plates 4-. Each of the "ollors i6 is connected to the flljacenlb roller 9, by means of a series of endless bells 18, filmsail bolts o1- ;miigod bolwson the belts 10. The upper run of each of tho said bolts 18 is spaced low iil'lfi bolts 10 at the iollor l6. aml tho said upper run grooli i 1 comes into the plane of the lalio said bolts 18 pass onto A ml: l liesppor mm of Gili'il! z-ospeou of the soirl bolts 18 is inclii vi" l' lo llio be] 16.

The first (nil second rollers S) are moviilol Will-l1 registering sprocket Wheels l9, which connootocl by a chain Q'l. The rollers 8 also flliIlWBll by the endless carriers l0 l1. The ssvsi'al QMXlLI'Q airs driven at (lifloloiil; speeds, sash succeeding carrier traveling faster llwii the preceding. It will no ovi- Ll lllMLl} there are more openings to the. sopmiro foot of surface eacli carrier than in tho succeeding cai her and unless the sue ooocling csi'rioi' ma vels faster than the preceding the fruit "would pile up on the sncc eeoling carrier. The sprocket Wheel 19 of the sooonrl roller 9 is of smaller size than the said "Wlmol of the first roller 9 so that the second carrier is driven at a higher speecl than 'lxho first carrier. The second roller 9 is iroviilecl with a second sprocket Wliesl 22 on lillfi some side is the sprocket 'WlEQBl 19, fllflCl tlio saicl Wheel 22 ailz'xp' ecl for ongaggo moot s il sprocket oliaiii, not shown, lo connool the said Wheel with a similar wheel low the inclination of the upper runs of the table 31.

succeeding carriers are connected in similar I manner, so that the said carriers travel as above. specified.

The fruit is fed to the first carrier, by means of a feeding chute 24c flaring toward the end remote from the frame, and the upper face of the said chute is provided with a series of trough-shaped grooves or passages 25, in which the fruit travels. A checlr plate 245 is arranged above the feeding chute, near the delivery end thereof, for preventing more than one member of the fruit from rolling onto the grading carrier at a time from each passage. The plate A is mounted in guides at, and may be moved vertically for large or small size fruit. The passages 25 are V-shaped, and the under edge of the plate 243 is recessed, as shown at each passage.

Strips 26 are arranged longitudinally of the carriers, above the upper runs thereof, and the under edges of the said strips are, notched or recessed, as shown at 27, to tolgrading carriers. The said strips 26 are arrangedin alinement with the divisions between the passages 25 of the feed chute, so that the fruit as it is fed, is separated into a number of subdivisions, five in the present instance and the fruit in each division remains separated from the fruit in the other subdivisions throughout its travel, or until it is discharged from the carriers.

Between each adjacent pair of rollers S and 16 a chute 28 is arranged, the said chute being supported at one end by standards 29 on the upper bar 2, and each of the said chutes 28 delivers at the opposite end from the standards 29 outside of the frame, as shown in Fig. l. The said chutes 28 have flanges 30 at each side to prevent the escape of the fruit, and each chute delivers onto a packing table 31. A chute 28 is thus provided for each carrier, as is also a packing It will be noted that one of the flanges of each chute 28, namely the one adjacent to the roller 8 is curved, so that the free edge thereof is adjacent to the free edge of the adjacent apron 13. As many carriers may be used as may be desired or necessary, and the grading device may be driven by any suitable form of motor. The belts 19 are of suitable material and are from one and one-half to two and one-halt inches in width, and are placed at differentdistances from each other in the various carriers. As for instance in the first carrier, the belts are spaced at intervals of two and one-fourth inches, and in the succeeding carriers they are spaced at intervals oi two and one-half. two and three-fourths. and three inches respcctively.

As a rule four carriers are made use of. The slats 11 are preferably of wood, and

noeneee are one and one-fourth inches in width,-but it is evident that they may be of metal or even. of belting if desired. The slats are spaced at the same intervals in the respective carriers as the belts, so that in each carrier perforations or openings of equal size are provided. The bearing plates 3 and 4 are pivoted to the lowermost bar l,as indicated at 32, and each bearing plate is engaged at its upper end by an adjusting arm 33, pivoted to the uppermost bearing plate, as indicated at 34. The said arms hold the upper ends of the bearing plates 3 and 4t properly spaced with respect to the rollers 9, and by pressing the free ends of the said arms downward, the belts of the carriers and the belts 18 may be tightened.

El e fruit to be graded, as for instance apples, is fed onto the feed chute 2e, and rolls down the sameon to the slats and belts of the first carrier. It will be noted from an inspection of Fig. 1, that the spacing or dividing strips 26 are arranged directly above the longitudinal center or" the belts 10, so that the openings or" the carriers are between the adjacent strips. As the fruit passes onto the first carrier, all of the said fruit that is below a certain predetermined size, namely of less diameter than the width of the openings between the belts, and the slats,"will fall through the'said openings onto the delivering chute 28 beneath the upper run of the said carrier. The said chutes are arranged between the runs of the carriers, and they are of such width, that they extend between the rollers 8 and 16. All of the fruit that passes through the first belt will be delivered to the first packing table 31. All of the fruitthat is above the size of the opening of the first carrier will i be delivered to the succeeding carrier, an the upper runs of the belts 18 will gradually raise all of the fruit above the level of the lower surface of the belts 10 before the said fruit reaches the roller 9.

The endless belts 18 are for the purpose or raising the fruit from between the slats, as shown in Fig. 3. Thus apples for instance that are of but slightly greater size than the openings of the first carrier will artially pass through the said openinga and the said apples might be in ured were there no means provided for releasing them from this position before they engage the roller 9. \Vhen the fruitpasscs onto the second carrier, all of the fruit that is of less diamctcr than the width of the openings of the said second plate will drop through and the process will be continued until the grading is completed.

VVith the openings spaced as above menti oncd, apples below two and one-ztourth inches in diameter will be delivered to the first packing table. Apples below two and one'half inches in diameter will be delivered able manner ing carrier at the lower memes to the second table, apples below two and three-fourths inches in diameter will. be delivered to the third table, and below three inches in diameter will be delivered to the fourth table. All apples above-three inches in diameter should there be any of this size, will bedelivered at the end 0 the last car rier.

As the fruit passes from each carrier to the succeedingcarrier, it is delivered onto t1e apron 13, and each of the said aprons is inclined so that the fruit will slide down the same onto the upper run of the succeedend thereof. The delivering chutes 28 incline downwardly toward the packing tables so that the fruit will travel of its weight. 4

The grader may be operated in any snitand from any suitable source of power, as for instance by means of a belt connecting the source of power with a pulley 15 on the shaft of the first roller 9.

We elaixnz- 1. In a fruit grading machine comprising a, supporting frame, the combination o't endless ('nl'i'ltis for gradingthe fruit, said carriers being arranged in succession and with each Farrier inclining upwardly from its reserving to its delivery end, the receiving end of eat-h ol the succeeding: Carriers being at a lower level and adjacent to the delivery end of the preceding rarrier. each of the said carriers comprising a series of endless belts arranged in re, rular spaced relation, and transverse slats eonneetiinr the belts and spaced apart at the same distance from each other as the spacing of the belts, the belts of the several carriers being in alineinent longi ludiually of the frame, and a separating strip arranged-above the center of each line of belts, the lower edge of each of the strips being shaped to correspond with the inclina-- tion of the carriers and the said lower edge of each strip. being adjaeent to the upper surface of all-0f the carriers, the openings of each carrier being of substantially the same size and of larger size than the openings of the preceding carrier.

2. A carrier having a series of rows of loi'igitudinally extending openings of equal size, and means at the delivery end of each carrier for gradually lifting the material earried by the carrier to the plane of the upper run of the carrier, said means comprisingendless belts supported at the delivery end of the carrier, one of the said belts being arranged.inalinement with each series of openings and with its "upper run inclining upwardly to a level with the upper face of the carrier at the delivery end thereof. v i

3. In a fruit grading machine, a feed.

elmte having a series of longitudinally tending passages arranged alongside each other each passage being. V-shaped in cross section, and means in connection with the chute for gaging the size of fruit that may pass through the passages, said means eom prising a plate arranged transversely of the chute near its delivery end, a siuipert for the plate the plate being adjl'astabie on the support, said plate having eessed at earn pat age.

' 'l Rl l-D Cl. JAQUETTE. CHAS: M. JAQUETTE.

ll itnesses ALVIN l3 lz -onscnnnn, S'rn'nmne B, Leer.

its lower edge re- 

